Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-01-28
JUBILEE OF SOULS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE'S SERMON AT
THE TABERNACLE.


Members Received-Cnrist the Souls
Only Shelter.
BROOKLYN, Jan. 23.-The Rev. 7. De Witt
Talmage's sermon to-day was preached at
the reception of 30S new members, making the
communicate membership of the Brooklyn
tabernacle $3.50. 1t was day memorable in
the history of this church. The reverend
doctors text was Isaiah, TX, s: "Who are
these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to
their windows" He preached as follows:
When God would set fast beautiful
thought He plants it in tree; when He
would put it afoat He fashions it into fish;
when He would have it glide into the air He
molds it into a bird. There is to many of
us complete fascination in the structure
and habits of birds. The blackbird floating
like fake of darkness through the sunlight;
the meadow lark with head of fawn and
throat of velvet and breast of gold the red
hamingo flying over the southern swamps like
sparks from the forge of the setting sun; the
pelican white and black, morning and night
tangled inits wings. They seem not more of
earth than heaven. ever vacillating between
The two. No wonder that Audubon, with his
gun, bramped through all the American
forests in search of new specimens. Geolo-
gists have spent years in finding the track of
birds claw in the new red sandstone. There
is enough of Gods architecture in a snipes
bill Or grouse's foot to confound all the uni
versities.
Musicians have with cIefs and bars tried to
catch the sound of the nightingale and the
robin. Among the first things that a child
notices is swallow at the caves and grand
father goes out with a handful of crumbs to
feed the snowbirds. The Bible is full of ornith-
illogical illusions. The birds of the Bible
are not dead and stuffed, like those of the
museum, but living birds, with futtering
wings and plumag8. "Behold the fowls of the
air, says Christ. Though thou exalt myself as
the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among
the stars, thence will l bring thee down."
exclaims Obadiah. "Gaxest thou the goodly
wings to the peacock!" says Job. David de-
scribes his desolation by saying: Il am like
a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl
of the desert; I watch, and am as a sparrow
upon the housetop" yea, the stork in the
Heaven knoweth her appointed time; and the
turtle and the crane and the swallow observe
the time of their coming; but my people
know not the Judgment of the Lord" so says
jeremiah. And in the text Isaiah looks
ahead and sees the gathering of many people
unto Christ and the church, and it makes him
think of a flock of pigeons alighting on their
coop, and all at once trying to get in at the
window of the coop, and he cries out: ''Who
are these that fly as cloud and as the doves
to their windows?'
This is one of the memorable days of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle. On other Sundays we
drop the net; to-day we haul it in. On other
days we send out the invitations for kings
party; to-day we sit at the banquet On
other days we fight the battle; now we claim
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Ye
who have toiled and contributed and prayed
for the success of this Institution, take unto
your souls the grand satisfaction of this hour
To you, o, men and women, is fulfilled the
promise: "They that sow in tears shall reap
in joy" Wake up, 0, Church Of God! and
bring garlands and music and let us celebrate
our "harvest home"
Oh, this mercy of God! I am told it is an
ocean. Then l place ON it four swift sailing
crafts, with compass and charts and choice
rigging and skillful navigators, and tell
them to launch away and discover for me the
extent of this ocean. That craft puts out in
one direction and sails to the north; this to
They crowd on all their canvas and sail 10,
900 years, and one day come up the harbor of
heaven, and I shout to them from the beach,
''Have you found the shoregn And they
answer: mo shore to Gods mercyF' Swift
angels, dispatched from the throne, attempt
to go across it. For 100000 years they fly
and fly, but then come back and fold their
wings at the foot of the throne and cry:
"No shore! No shore to Gods mercy!''
Mercy! Mercy! sing it. I preach it. I
pray it. Here I find a man bound hand and
foot to the devil, but with one stroke of the
hammer Of Gods truth the chains fall off and
he is free forever. Mercy! Mercy! Mercy9
There is no depth it cannot fathom; there is
no height it cannot scale; there is no infinity
it cannot compass.
When persons apply for membership into
any society, the question is asked: "Who are
they, and where do they come from?" and as
this multitude Of people to-day present them
selves for membership, it is right that we
should ask: "Who are these that come as
doves to their windows?" They are captives,
whose chains have been broken; they are
soldiers, who have enlisted for thirty years
war; they are heirs Of heaven.
They come as doves to the windows, first,
because they fly low. The eagle darts up, as
if to strike its beak into the sun. There are
birds that seem to dwell under the caves of
Heaven; you see them as little specks against
the sky so far off that you cannot guess the
style of their plumage or the shape of their
bodies. They float so far away that if the
hunters gun be discharged at them they do
not change their course. Not so with the
doves or pigeons they never take any high
excursions They fly around your roof and
alight on the fence and seem to dislike great
attitudes So these souls who come to Christ
and to his church to-day fly low. They ask
no great things; they seek an humble place
at the feet of Christ. They are not ashamed
to be called beggars for mercy, they are will
ing to get down on their knees, and to crawl
under the table, and to pick up the crumbs of
gospel provision There were days when
they were proud and punctilious and inexora-
BILE and pulled up; but not now. The highest
tarone on earth could not tempt Mary away
from Jesus feet. Stoop, o pardoned soul, if
thou wouldst enter heaven. A high look and
a proud heart God hates. Fly low. It is
mercy that thou canst fly at all. Remember
all the years of thy sin; thy days of youthful
thy days of manhood transgres-
sions; thy sins-dark, brooding, dreadful
thy soul, against thy Bible,
against thy God.
In one of the benevolent institutions of
Europe where the destitute are provided for
the new corners have their photographs taken
while in rags before they are washed, so that
they may always have in the picture re-
minder of the degradation from which they
were lifted; SO, in this book, God keeps before
thee a picture of thy former restitution and
of soul. Fly low
1t is an offended God before whom thou
contest. Thou deservest His wrath. He
scattered the 1856, 600 of Sennacherib's host in
a night. He abhors sin. He will judge the
nations. Holy. holy, holy, is the Lord God
Almighty Fly low.
A thousand years ago an emperor planted
q rose bush from which roses are plucked
to-day At the foot of the cross nearly nine
'een centuries ago rose was planted which
blooms to-day; stoop down, if thou would'st
pluck it. 0 for more of the childlike spirit!
rejoice in the belief that those who come
% Christ to-day, come aware of their sins and
heir wants. and have learned how to fly low.
Again: These persons who come to-day are
ike doves on their way to the dove cot, be-
cause they fly for shelter. The albatross
,Hz1,1